Brynhildr in the Darkness: Episode 05-07 Review

In this round of episodes, the witches and Murakami form the astronomy club and use the observatory for a home base and hideout. A new girl, Kotori, joins the club, and Kana predicts the worst. Kotori proves herself trustworthy, though, and helps the club defeat a high-powered magic-user sent to destroy witches and retrieve their harnests. Murakami investigates the possibility of replicating the witches’ pills and visits a scientist he’s acquainted with to inquire about it. He and Kazumi head to Akihabara, to a high-populated place to look into the device Kuroha found.

I have to say, I think Brynhildr in the Darkness is smoothing out the hiccups I encountered previously this season. The characters have established themselves, and the plot is finally rolling. I still think the fanservice is getting out of hand, but the humor doesn’t feel out of place. Brynhildr no longer stands on spindly legs, unsure of where it’s going or what it’s trying to prove; it is starting to show, little by little, what the true point of the series is.

Earlier this season, I thought the fluffier moments felt out of place—and they did, a little bit—but I’m starting to understand what Kenichi Imazumi is trying to accomplish in his directing efforts. Brynhildr is clearly about survival, but it is also about enjoying life and living each day like it is your last.

These girls don’t know if they will be alive next month, so they do the best they can. Do the fluffier scenes take away from the flow and impact of the heavy scenes, the ones we shouldn’t be able to stomach? In a way, yes, but at the same time I appreciate the sentiment of the theme.

That being said, when the heavy scenes arrive, the acting and animation are spot-on. In a previous review, I claimed that the emotions were stale. I can now say that this is not entirely the case. I can feel the desperation starting to seep through as things become bleaker and bleaker. The suspense of whether or not the girls will overcome and survive keeps me intrigued, as do the origins of the witches and the lab.

The bond between Kuroha and Murakami also keeps me glued to my screen, hoping for a revelation of their feelings and of who Kuroha is to Murakami. I eagerly await next episode.